Played
September 25, 2012 7:45 PM BST
Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Referee:‬ P. Dowd‎
Attendance:‬ 28015‎
 
   
 
 

Player Ratings: Manchester City 2-4 Aston Villa (aet)

The away side shocked the Premier League champions with an extra-time victory at the Etihad which saw the stadium ring with boos at the final whistle as Mancini's men crashed out

By Alex Fisher at the Etihad Stadium

  • Costel Pantilimon
    11
    33
    2.00

    Costel Pantilimon Flop of the Match

    The big Romanian stopper struggled in the difficult conditions for a goalkeeper, and was lucky not to be punished in the 10th minute after pushing a long range Agbonlahor strike straight to Weimann. His luck didn’t hold though as a poor punch away from a Weimann cross led to Barry scoring an own goal, and he made another mistake in extra time to gift N'Zogbia an easy goal.

  • Aleksandar Kolarov
    29
    15
    3.50

    Aleksandar Kolarov

    Playing in a more advanced position Kolarov had a productive game down the left hand side, making some dangerous runs at Lowton and linking up very neatly with Tevez. He got himself on the scoresheet midway through the second half with an excellent free kick that curled past Given from 20 yards.

  • Kolo Toure
    7
    23
    3.00

    Kolo Toure

    Captain for the night looked cool and calm. He was solid on the right of the back three, and looked equally comfortable at right back when moved there late in the game.

  • Matija Nastasic
    18
    15
    3.00

    Matija Nastasic

    The Serbian was making his home debut on the left side of a back three and he looked comfortable throughout up against the pace of Weimann.

  • Joleon Lescott
    7
    24
    3.00

    Joleon Lescott

    The centre half was a late addition to the City side after Jack Rodwell picked up an injury in the warm-up, and he equipped himself well given he had little time to mentally prepare. He marked Benteke very closely and succeeded in keeping the striker with his back to goal so he couldn’t threaten the City goal.

  • Gareth Barry
    11
    31
    3.00

    Gareth Barry

    The midfielder had a solid game in the middle of the pitch and helped Razak adapt the faster pace of first team football. Looked to be winning his constant battles with Delph and El Ahmadi in the midfield but did score an own goal.

  • Abdul Razak
    13
    20
    2.50

    Abdul Razak

    Had a good game alongside Barry in the centre of midfield, very strong when he is on the ball and very comfortable in possession. As the game went on though his touch seemed to let him down more and he gave the ball away a bit too easily.

  • James Milner
    12
    19
    3.50

    James Milner

    The midfielder was back in a wider role on the right hand side against his former club and he performed well against the youngster Bennett in the Villa defence. He held his position on the wing well and delivered some dangerous crosses into the penalty area for Balotelli and Tevez. He created the opening goal in the 27th minute with a neat pass into the unmarked Balotelli who made no mistake.

  • Denis Suárez
    12
    23
    2.50

    Denis Suárez

    Drifted in and out of the game as the third member of City’s attacking trio, he struggled to really make an impact although there were glimpses of quality to impress Mancini. Once Villa had equalised the youngster was replaced by Scott Sinclair as City went in search of a winner.

  • Mario Balotelli
    24
    28
    3.00

    Mario Balotelli

    The enigmatic forward had a typical Balotelli game, he linked up well with Tevez and drifted into some excellent positions but his overall work ethic was not high. He showed good movement in the build-up to his goal as he dropped of the Villa defence and calmly fired past Given from six yards.

  • Carlos Tévez
    23
    23
    3.50

    Carlos Tévez

    The Argentine was full of running for his side and never gave the Villa defenders a moments peace as he searched for a goal to put his side into the next round.

Substitutions

  • Scott  Sinclair
    10
    27
    3.00

    Scott Sinclair

    Replaced Suarez in the 61st minute and was full of energy down the right hand side. He caused Bennett problems and nearly created a goal for Balotelli. He raced past Bennett and delivered a perfect ball for italian but he saw his header saved by Given.

  • Edin  Dzeko
    32
    17
    2.50

    Edin Dzeko

    The Bosnian replaced Lescott in the 74th minute as City went in search of a winner and he worked well upfront but didn't get a clear sight of goal to test Given

  • Jeremy Helan
    4
    20

    Jeremy Helan

    Replaced Razak at half time in extra time, but didn't have much involvement in the final 15 minutes.

  • Shay Given
    29
    3
    3.50

    Shay Given

    A start for the Irish keeper having lost his place to Brad Guzan in recent weeks and he will have been disappointed to not keep a clean sheet but the poor marking of his defenders gave him no chance with Balotelli’s first-half strike. He didn’t have much else to do as City struggled to create any more clear chances, but his attempts to stay focused kept the crowd entertained.

  • Matthew  Lowton
    18
    3
    3.00

    Matthew Lowton

    Tried his best to give Villa a threat down the right-hand side but had to spend the majority of his time in defensive situations as Kolarov continued to press him backwards.

  • Ciaran Clark
    16
    3
    3.00

    Ciaran Clark

    Like Vlaar he did well against the City forward line but one lapse in concentration cost his team as Balotelli drifted into an unmarked position to open the scoring.

  • Joseph Bennett
    16
    1
    3.00

    Joseph Bennett

    Had a tough evening as he had both Milner and latterly Sinclair to deal with, however the youngster coped well with both players and didn’t give them many opportunities to deliver dangerous balls into the penalty area.

  • Ron Vlaar
    18
    2
    3.00

    Ron Vlaar

    The Villa skipper was a solid presence at the back for his side, staying very close to Carlos Tevez and picking up any runners when he passed the Argentine onto Clark. Strong in the air and the only moments he looked vulnerable were when City ran at him at pace.

  • Charles N'Zogbia
    21
    2
    3.00

    Charles N'Zogbia

    The attacking midfielder failed to really get involved in the game and was something of a passenger at times for his side. When he did make good runs down the left hand side his control let him down and he was easy to mark for the City defenders. But he came to life in extra time when his 95th minute strike put his side ahead for the first time.

  • Fabian Delph
    15
    3
    3.00

    Fabian Delph

    Kept running throughout the game and worked well with El Ahmadi to try and get his side a footing in the game, a lack of creativity from him going forward meant Villa struggled to really dominate the play but he did his defensive work well.

  • Karim El Ahmadi
    16
    2
    3.00

    Karim El Ahmadi

    Worked hard in midfield to give Razak and Barry very little time to dictate the play, and generally this worked although when he got the ball himself their wasn’t much creativity for his own players to work with.

  • Andreas  Weimann
    15
    3
    3.00

    Andreas Weimann

    He worked hard down the right hand side of Villa’s front three but like his fellow forwards he had a frustrating opening half. Things improved for him in the second half and he was instrumental in getting his side back into the game as his dangerous cross led to the Barry own goal. He was replaced by Albrighton in the 66th minute.

  • C. Benteke
    19
    2
    3.00

    C. Benteke

    The Belgian should have opened the scoring in the 10th minute after being played in by Weimann but he was unable to divert the low ball on target. He led the line well for his side, especially in the second half, as he threatened the City defence.

  • Gabriel Agbonlahor
    54
    3
    4.00

    Gabriel Agbonlahor Top of the Match

    The striker had a frustrating first half with very little to work with and very little in the way of support. However that all changed in the second half as Villa stepped up their game and he was on hand to equalise for the second time, latching onto a loose ball to score from just inside the penalty area. He sealed the win in the second half of extra time with a shot that looped into the net off Pantilimon.

Substitutions

  • Eric Lichaj
    17
    2
    3.00

    Eric Lichaj

    Replaced Bennett in the 86th minute to nullify the threat of Sinclair, he did well against the winger but his pace caused a few problems.

  • Chris Herd
    16
    2
    3.00

    Chris Herd

    Replaced El Ahmadi inn the 73rd minute and continued the good work of his team mate alongside Delph.

  • Marc Albrighton
    21
    3
    3.00

    Marc Albrighton

    Replaced Weimann in the 66th minute and was eager to impress, he gave Villa a new edge going forward and was instrumental in Agbonlahor's equaliser.

Results
 
Player Ratings
Tournament
Position
Ranking
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Theo Walcott Theo Walcott
Striker
Arsenal
5 0
Andreas  Weimann Andreas Weimann
Striker
Aston Villa
4 0
C. Benteke C. Benteke
Striker
Aston Villa
4 0
Jonathan De Guzmán Jonathan De Guzmán
Midfielder
Swansea City
3 1
Luciano Becchio Luciano Becchio
Striker
Norwich City
3 1